Safety management is not fundamental than completely solving the problem.

The Cause of the Accident: In March of this year, a tragic traffic accident on the Jin-Ji Expressway that claimed 31 lives prompted the Shanxi provincial authorities to issue a one-year ban on all vehicles transporting hazardous materials starting from March 5. The decision was made in response to the incident, with the intention of improving road safety. However, the measure has sparked significant debate and concern.

A Controversial Question: Is it reasonable to impose a complete ban on dangerous goods transport vehicles on high-speed roads? Many argue that such a policy may not be the most effective solution, but rather a temporary fix that shifts risks to other areas of the road network.

Practice Has Shown That: Banning the transportation of hazardous chemicals on high-speed roads has led to an increase in the use of less regulated, lower-standard roads—such as county and village roads—where traffic control is limited. This shift can actually raise the risk of accidents and make the situation more dangerous than before. Therefore, the regulation should be reconsidered and potentially lifted as soon as possible.

Analysis of the Reasons: First, after the ban, hazardous material vehicles are forced to travel on national, provincial, and local roads. These roads typically have poor conditions compared to highways, with rough surfaces and fewer safety measures. Tanker trucks carrying liquids or gases are especially vulnerable to leaks due to vibrations during transit, and tire damage can also occur from excessive friction.

Second, many of these non-highway routes have complex intersections with limited visibility and unclear signage, increasing the likelihood of collisions and accidents.

Third, the vehicles used for transporting hazardous materials are often heavy and require specific road conditions. County and township roads, especially in mountainous regions like Shanxi, may not be suitable for such large vehicles, increasing the risk of rollovers or other serious incidents.

Fourth, taking longer, detour-heavy routes increases both fuel consumption and the chances of accidents. For example, a recent case involved a hazardous chemical tanker from Zhejiang Province that had to take an extremely long route through multiple provinces instead of using the direct highway into Shanxi. This added over a thousand kilometers to the journey, significantly raising the risk of an accident along the way.

Fifth, most accidents involving hazardous materials are due to human error—such as driver fatigue, lack of proper training, or poor company management—not because of the nature of the highways themselves. There is no evidence that high-speed roads are inherently unsuitable for transporting dangerous goods.

Xiao Bian Concludes: In conclusion, the one-year ban on high-speed transportation of hazardous materials in Shanxi appears to be an ineffective and counterproductive measure. Rather than addressing the real issues, it simply moves the problem from one area to another without solving the underlying causes. True safety management should focus on improving training, enforcing regulations, and enhancing oversight, rather than imposing blanket restrictions that inconvenience the public and create new risks. What we need is a smarter, more practical approach that prioritizes both safety and efficiency.

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